I'll say this now that i've owned & worked with horses for years but have always perfered doing the training/work from the saddle. I hate groundwork (can't explain it so dont ask)
I've done plenty of halter breaking, teaching young ones to pick up feet, saddle, load, etc but when it comes to my own personal horses i've always been a bit slack in the ground-training department (apart from the basics, such as respect, feet, saddling, loading, etc).
So i was hoping to get some tips from everyone of what their groundwork "routine" is with their horses.

I have a green Fjord mare who i've been working with on turning & such, & was looking for advice in particular on teaching her to bend properly on the ground so that she will turn easier in the saddle. What are your tricks as she's not spooky or nutty just stubborn & a little unsure. She puts up with anything, though.

"If a horse fails to do something that is because he was not trained to do it. If a horse fails to do something properly that is because he was not trained properly."www.wildestheartart.com

*Bump*
Anyone?
Any tips are appreciated ;) i'm certainly not afraid to try new things if i think it will work!
Not just looking for help with the Fjord mare either, but any exercises you have to share!

"If a horse fails to do something that is because he was not trained to do it. If a horse fails to do something properly that is because he was not trained properly."www.wildestheartart.com

If you push her does she give to the pressure or push against you? You want the horse to give to pressure, ideally you want to be able to just push your fingertips against their neck and have them move away from the pressure. I would suggest looking into some natural horsemanship for ground work, now I am not at all one of those Parelli worshippers or anything like that, but I definately like the whole natural horsemanship idea of giving to pressure. It is a good concept with ground work, even though it can get a little ridiculous once you get to under saddle stuff. I would look into the parelli 7 games, as those are good basic ground work exercises. Even if you dont want to get fully immersed in them, game 2, the "porcupine game" at least gets them respecting your touch and moving away from pressure. hope this helps some.

I've thought about that, yes ;) She's not really that "sensitive", even to spurs in the saddle, she doesn't respond unless alot of pressure/force is put behind them & i know she's never had them used on her so it's a new sensation to her.

On the ground, she respects the lead rope, though she is incredibly pushy. She was pretty well spoiled at her first home and the people i bought her from didn't work with her much to change her behavior. I've been working on getting her to yield her hindquarters on the ground, but it is a long process lol

"If a horse fails to do something that is because he was not trained to do it. If a horse fails to do something properly that is because he was not trained properly."www.wildestheartart.com

Yeah I know it can be frustrating, especially with ponies, they tend to be quite thick skinned! You just have to be persistent and not give up! I wouldnt just just suggest parelli though, look into different trainers and maybe even see if there is someone that specializes in ponies.

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